CHARLOTTETOWN – A Prince Edward Island woman who admitted to causing the deaths of three of her newborn babies has been sentenced to six years in prison.

Shannon Dawn Rayner of Charlottetown pleaded guilty to three counts of infanticide related to incidents in 2014, 2015 and 2016, as well as a charge of concealing a dead body.

In May, the Charlottetown Police Service confirmed the discovery of an infant’s skeletal remains in a shed near a home in the city’s Sherwood subdivision.

Court documents say the other two babies both died “a short time” after they were born, and their bodies were dumped in a garbage bin.

Crown Attorney John Diamond says Rayner was sentenced to two years on each infanticide charge, to be served consecutively, and one year on concealing the dead body, to be served concurrently.

Diamond says Rayner will get 13 months credit for time she has already spent in custody.

A psychiatric assessment determined the 40-year-old woman was fit to stand trial and did not suffer from a mental disorder that could have caused her to be found not criminally responsible for the crimes.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 25, 2019.